Data visualisation is a great way to gain information from the data and communicate this with others. Data scientists regularly use it to convey their findings and predictions with others in the company. Every business in every industry can benefit from good visualisation tools. This is one of the main reasons why data visualisation with Tableau training can help your career.
Tableau is a powerful visualisation tool. It can transform any dry data into creative visuals that can be used to convey important information. However, many beginners, as well as experienced Tableau users, make certain basic mistakes which can hinder their ability to utilise it to its full potential. These mistakes are easily avoidable if you just know what to look for. Here are the mistakes and how you can avoid them.
Using the Wrong Kind of Charts
Tableau has over 20 different kinds of charts and graphs. This variety is not just for show. Each of those is suited for a specific purpose. Many users are unsure about the purposes of the graph and end up using the wrong kind. This can confuse your audience and they won’t get the message you are trying to tell them.
Your data visualisation with Tableau course will cover which graphs and charts are to be used for what type of data. Remember what you learn in your training and double check if the chart type that you plan to use is the best for the given context.
Showing too Many Details
One of the most common mistakes made by Tableau users is that they put too many details in just one dashboard. Tableau allows you to combine multiple data sources and display charts and tables containing all the information. When you share this with multiple users, the users can then filter down and see the part they want. Sounds pretty good right? But too much of something good is also bad. The same applies here.
When you put all the information in a single dashboard, the board takes too long to load and then filter. This can end up frustrating the people with whom you want to share the information.
Instead, you should try to use the interactiveness of Tableau to your advantage. The interactive view should first show the user a high-level aggregation of the data. The user can then view the details if needed. You can even split the information over multiple dashboards.
Spending Too Much Time on Formatting
This is a simple mistake that most beginners make on Tableau. Tableau allows you to format the dashboard and visuals as much as you want. But just because you are allowed to do something doesn’t mean you always have to. Beginners end up spending too much time on formatting and the end result may not always be better than what you started off with. The Tableau dashboards are already designed to be user-friendly. If you don’t necessarily have to change a font or colour, then don’t do it just because you can.
Trying to Replicate the Result of Another Tool on Tableau
Every data visualisation tool is different and so are the results they produce. Each of these softwares or tools have their own strengths and weaknesses and ways of approaching a visualisation. Just because you did something in one particular manner using one tool doesn’t mean you can do the same using Tableau. So try to look at every data set from the point of view of Tableau and stay away from trying to replicate the results of another tool.
Connecting to Summarised Data
You may have summarised the data on another software and need to use the results in Tableau. But the results you get from Tableau for this data are not what you expected. What went wrong? Well, Tableau needs raw data. The summarised data may be easier for us to read, but not for the software. Whatever summarisation you performed on the data, Tableau can do it too. So always feed raw data to Tableau.
Not Reading the Tableau Documentation
Documentations maybe boring and no one likes reading them. However, they are a treasure trove of information on the software. The whole purpose of writing the documentation was to guide you on using it. By not reading the documentation, you may be missing out on some valuable tips. Try to at least skim through the documentation.
Make Better Visuals With Tableau
Tableau is one of the best tools for data visualisation. However, many of the users make these common mistakes and won’t see the results they expect. This can put them off of using Tableau. But avoiding these mistakes is very simple as seen from above. You only need to remember these few tips and you will make the most out of your data visualisation with Tableau training.